Talk

Seeing Lin Yuan's look that suggested he had something to say, Zhang Yan subconsciously put down her milk tea. "Senior Brother, what do you want to say?"

"Senior Brother has to thank you."

"Because I helped you check the MAC address? No need to thank me, it's part of my job."

"I'm thanking you for always remembering to get me a cup whenever you buy milk tea."

"What's there to say about that? It's just something convenient."

"Hmm, you also like to chat with Song Xiaoxiao while you're at it, right?"

Zhang Yan looked at Lin Yuan with a puzzled expression. "How do you even know that? I did advise her to be a good person in the future; she's clearly a very pretty girl, and she shouldn't make mistakes again."

"You're quite the busybody, aren't you?"

"What's wrong?"

"Song Xiaoxiao lives with my wife. Yesterday, she asked me, 'Are you often with her?'"

"How would she know? You said you were afraid Xia Ye would misunderstand, so I don't bother you outside of school."

Lin Yuan held up the milk tea in his hand. "You never change the place where you buy milk tea, and one of the cups is exactly the same every time. Yesterday, she happened to hand you cup number 295. Even an idiot would figure it out."

"So, she told Xia Ye?"

"No. She told me, she told me without any ulterior motive."

Zhang Yan was initially a bit flustered, because she was also afraid of being misunderstood by Xia Ye.

But after hearing Lin Yuan's explanation, she was somewhat shocked. "Song Xiaoxiao is Xia Ye's best friend. Why didn't she tell Xia Ye first when she discovered something like this, but told you instead? Senior Brother, isn't the relationship between the three of you a bit messy..."

"What nonsense are you spouting? I told you to put less sugar in your milk tea; eating too much sweet stuff affects your IQ."

Zhang Yan suddenly remembered something. "You also repaid that huge sum of money for Song Xiaoxiao before. You guys... couldn't be..."

Lin Yuan didn't speak, letting the other party continue to speculate.

...

Zhang Yan quickly found herself unable to imagine any further.

"Not fantasizing anymore?"

"Waiting for you to tell me the truth."

"Song Xiaoxiao's considerations are very complex; her experiences haven't been smooth sailing, so you can't really put yourself in her shoes. I guess when you look for a husband in the future, your standard will just be whether you like him or not. But in reality, that's only a minority of situations in this world."

When Zhang Yan heard the words "look for a husband," her face immediately flushed. "I don't want to get married, it's boring. It's more fun to mess around with Senior Brother every day."

"Whether you get married or not is up to you, but Senior Brother plans to get married early. I'm going to register my marriage with Xia Ye after the New Year."

"What?" Zhang Yan excitedly slammed her milk tea on the table. "Why get married so early? If you get married, how can I still come play with you every day? No, I'm going to move into your house and not let you get married."

Lin Yuan was too lazy to waste more words with her on this topic. "Let's think about how to find that mole in Shanghai first."

"That's a small matter, I'll just have my master arrange it. First, let's talk about your marriage. Why are you getting married so early?"

"How come you're more excited than I am about my marriage? Maintain your noble's daughter persona, don't cause me any trouble."

"What trouble can I cause?"

"It's certainly best if you don't cause any trouble."

Zhang Yan hadn't really thought about some issues before, but when she suddenly heard that Lin Yuan was preparing to get married, her heart felt empty.

"I just found a good Senior Brother, but Senior Brother will soon belong to someone else."

"Then what do you want me to do? Play with you, my little noble's daughter, until you get tired of me, and then I can get married? I'm not some palace eunuch."

"No way, Senior Brother would never be boring. We can read books together, and every now and then act as heroes and catch someone. How good would that life be? I don't want you to be revolved around your wife and children in the future, then you won't have time to accompany me."

"There's no banquet that doesn't end, although it's a bit early to say that. But that day will come sooner or later, and you'll also have your own life."

Zhang Yan was slightly lost in thought. "My tragic life? Grandma and Grandpa are already old, and with my awful parents, I can already guess what kind of in-laws they'll find for me. Just thinking about it makes me feel worse than death, it's boring. The world is so big, I just want to find someone who can travel with me."

Lin Yuan looked out the window in a daze. "If someone else said that, I'd think they were showing off. But since you're saying it, I believe you. The world is indeed very big, the equator is forty thousand kilometers. But the world can also be very small, a small house, a dining table.

Big has its advantages, small has its beauty.

You can find what suits you. The families of princes and nobles won't be without a few young talents."

Zhang Yan rested her chin on her hand. "So I have to go ask each family? 'Hey, do you have any young talents in your family?' Senior Brother, I'm usually out of place with them. I was raised by my grandparents, and I don't even get along with my parents. Where am I going to find another oddball like me?"

"Just take your time looking, you're still young anyway."

"But I'm afraid of loneliness." As Zhang Yan spoke, she took Lin Yuan's hand.

Hearing the word "loneliness," Lin Yuan felt a bit soft-hearted, but he quickly pulled his hand out of her palm.

Lin Yuan's action made Zhang Yan very disappointed.

Silence permeated between the two of them.

Seeing Zhang Yan's dejected expression, Lin Yuan spoke first. "It's not like I can't have another sister. Anyway, Xia Ye is easy to get along with, so she probably won't have any conflicts with you, her little sister-in-law."

"Really? Then I'll call you 'Ge' in private."

Lin Yuan could feel that Zhang Yan's emotions towards him were very complex. Taking this opportunity to establish a sibling relationship was like cutting through tangled knots with a swift knife, saving future trouble.

"Hmm, little sister."

Zhang Yan smiled sweetly. "Older brother."

"Uh..." Lin Yuan's body stiffened. "Just call me 'Ge,' don't use repetitive words."

Zhang Yan pouted. "Alright." Then she called out clearly, "Ge."

"That's more normal. Otherwise, I'd get goosebumps."

"Ge, when can I live with Sister-in-law?"

Lin Yuan glanced at her. "Let's pull out that mole first."

Zhang Yan then pulled Lin Yuan back to the car to call Director Wang.

After some communication, according to Director Wang's instructions: he would arrange for cross-regional collaboration in Shanghai, first monitoring and locating the mole's exact position, and then acting based on the situation.

However, monitoring and locating obviously couldn't be done remotely. Zhang Yan and Lin Yuan would inevitably have to go to Shanghai in person. And it wouldn't be something that could be resolved in just a few days; it would also depend on the specific network investigation.

"Senior Brother, hurry back and pack up, and say goodbye to Sister-in-law while you're at it." Zhang Yan looked at Lin Yuan with a mischievous smile.

"Little sister, come home with Senior Brother and taste your sister-in-law's cooking."

"Really? Didn't you just say that you'd consider letting me meet Sister-in-law after the mole was pulled out?"

"Because I didn't know we'd be going on a business trip together just now. I think it's better to settle this before the business trip. I don't want to hide it from Xia Ye, we should try to tell her the truth. What my mentor asked me to do isn't anything shady.

Besides, who knows how many days I'll be in Shanghai this trip, I have to give Xia Ye an explanation."

"You're going to reveal your identity to Xia Ye? That's against organizational discipline."

"Not necessarily. I'll just say that I'm arranged by my mentor to cooperate with your work. Xia Ye is understanding, she won't ask too many questions."

"That's right, my sister-in-law is so prone to crying. She doesn't look like someone who would dig for answers either." Zhang Yan suddenly leaned closer to Lin Yuan. "Ge, do men all like women who don't control them much, just like my sister-in-law?"

"Asking that question is meaningless."

"Why?"

"Because you're definitely not that kind of person."